Compartmented cigarette case with ejectors



Sept. 26, 1967 R. LECLERCQ ETAL 3,343,717

COMPARTMENTED CIGARETTE CASE WITH EJECTORS Filed March 18. 1965 2sheets-sheet 1 R. LECLERCQ ETAL. 3,343,717

COMPARTMENTED CIGARETTE CASE WITH EJECTORS Sept. 26, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed March 18, 1965 United States Patent C) 3,343,717 COMPARTMENTEDCIGARETTE CASE WITH EJECTORS Raymond Leclercq, Georges Leclercq, andDenise Leclercq, all of 184 Blvd. Zenobe Gramme, Herstal lez-Liege,Belgium Fiied Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,695 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-124)The invention relates to a cigarette case with automatic cigarette feed.

There are already known various cigarette cases where the opening or thecigarette feed takes place automatically but they are complicated inconstruction and often too bulky to be slipped into the users pocket.

A cigarette case in accordance with the invention has the advantage thatit is of simple manufacture, with little bulk, and has the feature thatit is constituted of a space for storing the cigarettes, the front partof which is provided with an arrangement for lifting up the cigarettefacing a movable iiap.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, thecigarette case has a central support on one or both faces of whichslides a cheek plate serving as a cover, by the removal of which it ispossible to fill the case, the transverse front part of the sameenclosing the lift arrangement, constituted of a pivoting lever, one endof which projects outside the case, and of a lift platform for thecigarette, the extension of which is in engagement with the other end ofthe said lever. With a case which is intended to contain cigarettes onthe two faces of the central support, the lift arrangement isduplicated.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attacheddrawings, which are given by way of example and in no restrictive sense.

FIGURE 1 shows a front view in elevation of a case in accordance withthe invention, arranged to contain twenty cigarettes.

FIGURES 2 and 3 show respectively a plan view and a side elevation ofthe case in accordance with FIG- URE 1.

A cigarette case constructed in accordance with the invention, ofrectangular shape and intended to cont-ain twenty cigarettes, isconstituted of a central support 1, on both of the faces of which therefits a cheek plate 2 forming a cover of U-shaped section, the ends ofwhich are bent so that they can be inserted in suitable grooves 3-provided in the central support in order to make possible the slidingof the cheek plates or covers and accordingly the filling of the case.

At its rear part the central support is provided with a transversesurface 4 forming a lateral wall and at its front part has anothertransverse surface 5 on which is disposed the feed arrangement.

The cheek plates 2 have in front and on their horizontal upper part anopening 6 intended to make it possible for one cigarette to come out.The said opening is normally .closed by a flap 7 which is under theaction 0f a spring 8. The flaps with their springs are mounted on anaxis 9 carried by a cover 10 of U-shaped section surrounding for thewhole of its extent the transverse surface 5 of the support 1, the cheekplates 2 in closed position coming to rest against the said cover.

By means of pivots 11, there are mounted on the surface 5, levers 12,yone part of which, 12', projects beyond the case to serve as a handlinglever, whereas the other part 12 which is fork-shaped is in engagementwith the extension at a right angle 13 of a lift platform 13 disposedunder the cigarette and facing the flap 7.

The pivoting levers 12 are under the influence of return springs 14which are intended to move the handling levers 12 upwardly andconsequently the lift platforms downwardly.

The cigarettes contained in the case, on the two faces of the support 1of the example shown in the drawing, tend to be pressed one after theother under the openings 6 by virtue of an elastic device, constitutedin and on each face of the case, of two uprights 15, for example ofplastic material, provided with leaf springs 16 disposed in scissorarrangement resting for one of the uprights on the adjacent upright, andfor the other upright on the lateral rear wall 4 of the case, the frontupright being further provided on its face opposite the leaf springs 16with a leaf spring 17 adapted to rest against the last cigarette. Thesaid return springs are riveted, welded or fixed in any suitable way tothe uprights.

The elastic device is automatically compressed to make possible therefilling of the case when the cover is open, by virtue of buffers 18with which the latter is provided. The said buffers serve also torestrict the course of the elastic device when the cover is closed andthe last cigarette ready to be fed.

The use of such a cigarette case is extremely simple. For its refilling,one slides the cover 2 in the grooves 3, and, the elastic device 15, 16yielding automatically thereby, one then arranges the cigarettes on thesupport 1, closes the cover 2 and the elastic device presses on the rowof cigarettes to place the first of them on the lift platform 13 facingthe ap 7. To obtain a cigarette all that has to be done is to actuatethe handling lever 12' in a downward direction with the finger which isholding the case; the said lever engaging by its fork 12 with theextension 13 of the lift platform 13 then lifts this, and consequentlythe cigarette which is resting thereon, lifting the flap 7.

In the above described way the cigarette comes up sufficiently out ofits case to be presented, or in the case for example of the driver of avehicle who cannot free two hands, it comes out enough to be putdirectly into the mouth.

It should be understood that a case in accordance with the invention cancomprise only one single cover or cheek plate 2 and consequently containonly about ten cigarettes, the central support 1 being modifiedaccordingly and the lifting arrangement being single and not duplicated.

By virtue of the very simple feed mechanism a case carried out inaccordance with the invention even for twenty cigarettes has reducedbulk, and can be compared to an ordinary cigarette case which wouldcontain the same number of cigarettes.

What we claim is:

1. A cigarette case comprising in combination, a central longitudinallyextending frame, plates slidable on each side of said frame, said platesserving as covers and forming with said frame a pair of cigarettereceiving compartments, means in the forward portion of said frame forlifting cigarettes, said means comprising a pair of pivoted leversdisposed one above the other, the extreme portions of said leversextending outward of Said case, a pair of lifting plates, one in each ofsaid compartments, said lifting plates being coupled directly to theother ends of said respective levers, and delivery opening means throughwhich the cigarettes are lifted.

2. A cigarette case comprising in combination, a central longitudinallyextending frame, plates slidable on each side of said frame, said platesserving as covers and forming with said frame a pair of cigarettereceiving compartments, means in the forward portion of said frame forlifting cigarettes, said means comprising a pair of pivoted leversdisposed one above the other, the

extreme portions of said levers extending outward of said case, a pairof lifting plates one in each of said compartments, said lifting platesbeing coupled directly to the other ends of said respective levers, anddelivery opening means through which the cigarettes are lifted andresilient follower means in each compartment comprising thin leafsprings in scissors-like `arrangement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 693,621 2/1902 Rapaport 221-227 X907,243 12/1908 Johnson 221-117 10 ROBERT B.

Stiglich 221-250 Carr 221-250 Ostrander 221-274 X Mutz 221-25() XRussell 221-232 X FOREIGN PATENTS Italy.

REEVES, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner.

1. A CIGARETTE CASE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A CENTRAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FRAME, PLATES SLIDABLE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID FRAME, SAID PLATES SERVING AS COVERS AND FORMING WITH SAID FRAME A PAIR OF CIGARETTE RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS, MEANS IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF SAID FRAME FOR LIFTING CIGARETTES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF PIVOTED LEVERS DISPOSED ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, THE EXTREME PORTIONS OF SAID LEVERS EXTENDING OUTWARD OF SAID CASE, A PAIR OF LIFTING PLATES, ONE IN EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, SAID LIFTING PLATES BEING COUPLED DIRECTLY TO THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID RESPECTIVE LEVERS, AND DELIVERY OPENING MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE CIGARETTES ARE LIFTED. 